Low quality food but great service and nice not crowded table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
MMM
In these tough times I really hate to leave a negative review for any business but, in this case, it is warranted.In a sentence, the food here was extremely disappointing. Especially considering the bill was close to $100 for me and my wife for an app, 2 entrees, and 1 round of drinks.We ordered an octopus tentacle for an app - didn't have much flavor at all and the presentation was a bit "meh" with only finely chopped sweet potato. The Kitchen Table's version is much better and tastier. Though, at least the texture was on point - just no flavor.For entrees we ordered carbonara and gnocchi. The dishes were extremely over salted. Salt is all we could taste. I dunno, maybe someone called in sick and the dishwasher was cooking the food. But I have to be honest, these dishes were hardly edible.It was also an interesting choice to serve carbonara on (VERY al dente) rigatoni pasta. The rigatoni didn't really hold the sauce as well as spaghetti, linguini, or fettucine. I order this dish almost 50% of the time when I'm in an Italian restaurant and I've had it all over the world. It's a simple dish. Yet Locanda managed to thoroughly mess it up. My wife's gnocchi was very doughy, chewy, and heavy and, again, salt was the predominant flavor.The only thing I liked was my beer and my wife's white wine. Food was big fat zero. Ambience was so so. For the prices, I would expect some better décor. Felt a little long in the tooth and a mish mash of the small out door area and a small indoor area. We won't be back. It's a shame there is such a dearth of decent restaurants in Marin.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
Matt Vinci
These folks know how to make some seriously delicious sauces for their pasta dishes. Outstanding pasta. And the pizzas are up there too.
They aim to offer an authentic Italian dining experience but unfortunately fall short of this ambition. Our meal began with the soup of the day, which was disappointingly akin to tepid water scattered with a few lackluster vegetables. The pastas we sampled, including the Boscaiola and Carbonara, were overcooked—a misstep that seemed aimed at catering to a broader audience with a preference for Olive Garden's culinary style. The service compounded our dining disappointment; despite the restaurant being sparsely populated, we endured a wait of nearly 45 minutes. Attempts to engage with our waiter were met with brief assurances of "just a minute," yet resulted in no actual assistance. The wine list left much to be desired, dominated by well-known, overpriced labels without the inclusion of intriguing local options. Our experiences with the greasy melanzane alla parmigiana and the overly dry, overcooked salmon only added to the letdown. Our evening concluded unexpectedly when, instead of the tiramisu we attempted to order, our waiter presented us with the bill shortly after clearing our plates, closing the chapter on a night that could have been a celebration of Italian cuisine but was anything but. It's truly unfortunate, as the location has the potential to be outstanding, but the experience is marred by the unpleasant demeanor of the waiters and the disappointing quality of the food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Kevin Loughman
Great staff! Delicious food and pizza. I love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
margot nijsure
We had the best lunch on their lovely enclosed patio. Everything we ordered was delicious and great service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Carbonara
Subodh Nijsure
Great food. Amazing service. Also dishes are not priced atrociously.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Polipo Alla Griglia
Robert DeVos
Extremely nice staff. Food was not that great. I got the coda panini. It consisted of oxtail Rago in pizza dough. A very over priced meal.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
KarenD
Well, we felt a little rushed, and the pesto was subpar on the Yaki, and it was recommended by our server so that was surprising. The basil didn't seem fresh. I didn't taste any garlic in the pesto, maybe needed nuts and lemons still too, and salt? Pizza was OK -somewhat over cheesed and soggy and not evenly distributed with toppings.The focaccia, amatriciana made up for it as did the lemon sorbet and salted caramel gelato.
Fun neighborhood-type place. We always feel welcome and happy at La Locanda. The Caesar salad actually tastes like anchovies and the Parmesan makes the dressing a little creamy. All the Pinsa is delicious. We've tried them all and enjoyed each variety. Re wine, If you ask for a mineral-ly white, they will recommend and you'll be happy. All the dishes the wait staff carried by us looked tempting. All the wait staff is friendly. One problem: the focaccia is so good that it's hard to stop eating it.
piccolo
Met our younger granddaughter & friend for lunch. Menu looked so great we ordered a lot. Everything was delicious & service was fab! While it's a little far for to go, we'll be back.
Sankha S Hota
Food was average at best, service was fine, and the ambience was too crowded. The portions were sufficient but lacked in taste. The desserts were a little better than the main dishes. We had to wait 20 minutes to get the table even though we had a reservation. It could be difficult to find parking, so arrive early.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
ErinC
Great food. We had amazing lasagna, a oxtail sauce pasta, and two gnochi meals (one bolognese and one pink sauce) the only critique would be the gnochi were very dense, not light and pillowy. The sauces were all great though and food was prompt and hot. The wine list is pretty extensive as well. Had a very nice evening and we'll be back
Phoenix Taredi
Pizza was solid, atmosphere was not classy, with weird music playing, noisy wait staff oblivious to diners desiring to peacefully enjoy their meal... Overall not super
Pretty good service
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Carbonara
Low quality food but great service and nice not crowded table.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 2
Service: 4
In these tough times I really hate to leave a negative review for any business but, in this case, it is warranted.In a sentence, the food here was extremely disappointing. Especially considering the bill was close to $100 for me and my wife for an app, 2 entrees, and 1 round of drinks.We ordered an octopus tentacle for an app - didn't have much flavor at all and the presentation was a bit "meh" with only finely chopped sweet potato. The Kitchen Table's version is much better and tastier. Though, at least the texture was on point - just no flavor.For entrees we ordered carbonara and gnocchi. The dishes were extremely over salted. Salt is all we could taste. I dunno, maybe someone called in sick and the dishwasher was cooking the food. But I have to be honest, these dishes were hardly edible.It was also an interesting choice to serve carbonara on (VERY al dente) rigatoni pasta. The rigatoni didn't really hold the sauce as well as spaghetti, linguini, or fettucine. I order this dish almost 50% of the time when I'm in an Italian restaurant and I've had it all over the world. It's a simple dish. Yet Locanda managed to thoroughly mess it up. My wife's gnocchi was very doughy, chewy, and heavy and, again, salt was the predominant flavor.The only thing I liked was my beer and my wife's white wine. Food was big fat zero. Ambience was so so. For the prices, I would expect some better décor. Felt a little long in the tooth and a mish mash of the small out door area and a small indoor area. We won't be back. It's a shame there is such a dearth of decent restaurants in Marin.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 4
These folks know how to make some seriously delicious sauces for their pasta dishes. Outstanding pasta. And the pizzas are up there too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Recommended dishes: Lasagna, Porcini Ravioli, Boscaiola Pasta, Carbonara, Bacio Nutella Pinsa, Burrata
They aim to offer an authentic Italian dining experience but unfortunately fall short of this ambition. Our meal began with the soup of the day, which was disappointingly akin to tepid water scattered with a few lackluster vegetables. The pastas we sampled, including the Boscaiola and Carbonara, were overcooked—a misstep that seemed aimed at catering to a broader audience with a preference for Olive Garden's culinary style. The service compounded our dining disappointment; despite the restaurant being sparsely populated, we endured a wait of nearly 45 minutes. Attempts to engage with our waiter were met with brief assurances of "just a minute," yet resulted in no actual assistance. The wine list left much to be desired, dominated by well-known, overpriced labels without the inclusion of intriguing local options. Our experiences with the greasy melanzane alla parmigiana and the overly dry, overcooked salmon only added to the letdown. Our evening concluded unexpectedly when, instead of the tiramisu we attempted to order, our waiter presented us with the bill shortly after clearing our plates, closing the chapter on a night that could have been a celebration of Italian cuisine but was anything but. It's truly unfortunate, as the location has the potential to be outstanding, but the experience is marred by the unpleasant demeanor of the waiters and the disappointing quality of the food.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 1
Great staff! Delicious food and pizza. I love it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We had the best lunch on their lovely enclosed patio. Everything we ordered was delicious and great service.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Carbonara
Great food. Amazing service. Also dishes are not priced atrociously.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Tiramisu, Polipo Alla Griglia
Extremely nice staff. Food was not that great. I got the coda panini. It consisted of oxtail Rago in pizza dough. A very over priced meal.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 2
Service: 5
Well, we felt a little rushed, and the pesto was subpar on the Yaki, and it was recommended by our server so that was surprising. The basil didn't seem fresh. I didn't taste any garlic in the pesto, maybe needed nuts and lemons still too, and salt? Pizza was OK -somewhat over cheesed and soggy and not evenly distributed with toppings.The focaccia, amatriciana made up for it as did the lemon sorbet and salted caramel gelato.
Restaurantji Recommends
Fun neighborhood-type place. We always feel welcome and happy at La Locanda. The Caesar salad actually tastes like anchovies and the Parmesan makes the dressing a little creamy. All the Pinsa is delicious. We've tried them all and enjoyed each variety. Re wine, If you ask for a mineral-ly white, they will recommend and you'll be happy. All the dishes the wait staff carried by us looked tempting. All the wait staff is friendly. One problem: the focaccia is so good that it's hard to stop eating it.
Met our younger granddaughter & friend for lunch. Menu looked so great we ordered a lot. Everything was delicious & service was fab! While it's a little far for to go, we'll be back.
Food was average at best, service was fine, and the ambience was too crowded. The portions were sufficient but lacked in taste. The desserts were a little better than the main dishes. We had to wait 20 minutes to get the table even though we had a reservation. It could be difficult to find parking, so arrive early.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 4
Great food. We had amazing lasagna, a oxtail sauce pasta, and two gnochi meals (one bolognese and one pink sauce) the only critique would be the gnochi were very dense, not light and pillowy. The sauces were all great though and food was prompt and hot. The wine list is pretty extensive as well. Had a very nice evening and we'll be back
Pizza was solid, atmosphere was not classy, with weird music playing, noisy wait staff oblivious to diners desiring to peacefully enjoy their meal... Overall not super
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 4
Service: 3